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Thursday, July 21, 2011

Daycare detritus

The above collection of crackers was gathered from my Honda Odyssey mini-van today. Just today. You think that pile of plastic in the Pacific Ocean is crazy? Come and hang out in my van for a week.

Our daycare has a handy little double-stack basket at the front door that is always chock-full of Premium crackers. Our oldest was pretty impressed that they were able to take as many as they wanted, and that the crackers are named "Premium." Such a sweet, gullible child. When our oldest was just a toddler, he would often fall asleep in his car seat, two crackers clutched in his fist. He would also only accept perfect, unbroken crackers. If even a corner was missing, they were just garbage.

This is our second daycare facility, and the first also provided innumerable crackers to all the children to tide them over before dinner.These crackers will always bring to mind how wonderful most daycare staff people are. Not only are they taking care of your child all day, they are also thinking of ways to make the ride home a little easier. Keeping the kids happy is also a way to take care of parents at the end of a long day, too.

I guess that's why I don't mind cleaning up the cracker pile at the end of the day. I see it as a little extra TLC for our family's happiness. Sure, there's questionable nutritional value in a Premium cracker, but it's the thought that counts. I don't know if I've expressed my gratitude recently, but I will tomorrow.

In the meantime, I invite you to visit my new project, Our Better Daycare. It's a place for parents who use daycare to share their thoughts and ideas, their struggles and successes, all related to the ways our daycares affect our family life. Why don't you enjoy some crackers while you're there?